A weekly reminder that humans are pretty awesome

Cheri West was only two weeks away from giving birth, when doctors discovered her son would be born with Pfeiffer’s Syndrome.

The disease is life-threatening, with a typical life expectancy of around eighteen months. “They told us it was bad," recalled Cheri of her son's prognosis, "a lot worse than we originally thought." 

After being born, Braden (her son) spent a month in the hospital before heading home. He was struggling with his health and battling pneumonia, and Cheri was unsure how much longer she had left with him. 

But fast-forward twenty years and Braden's thriving, defying all odds. And they were certainly stacked against him. 

• In addition to his diagnosis, Braden has survived more than 30 surgeries – some with as low as a 10% survival rate. 

😎💪 They say situations are impossible to control... but how we respond to them isn't. And in spite of all the hardships, Braden and Cheri's positive attitudes have stood the test of time. 

According to his nurse from infancy, Michele Linn:

• "I was expecting it to be very heavy, very emotional, with lots of tears," she said about meeting Braden for the first time all those years ago. Instead, Cheri came out beaming and bragging about her son.
• “She said ‘I can’t wait for you to meet him, you will love him, he’s so awesome,’” Linn said. “It was beautiful to watch Braden’s parents with him.”

🤔 So, what's next??... Braden made headlines when he graduated high school in 2020, and recently began chasing his lifelong dream of becoming a firefighter, joining the Moseleyville, KY, Fire Department as a volunteer fireman. He hopes to one day pursue a career in faith, ministry, and anti-bullying.